Breaking ice with a cake?

Handling children who are in a bad mood is a cake walk now. Britannia's new TVC shows how a piece of cake can play a successful catalyst in bringing the conversation back on track between a parent and a child.

Created by Grey, the ad touches upon the creative idea of 'Pyaar se Kholein Baatein'. It uses 'Repetition', a child's go-to weapon when bored. The film depicts a typical situation of a child back from school, in no mood to talk about the day and his mother, who is all too eager to know about it. Enter Britannia Cake - a rare 'good snack' that mothers will give without hesitation and kids will love for its 'soft and crumbly' taste. The communication anchors this offering of a 'sweet bribe that enables bonding' with its inherent goodness of milk, fruit and eggs. The brand promise is signed off with "Achhaiyon se bhara."

The insight that has been tapped into is that 'Whether its food or conversations, children cannot be forced into anything but can be lured with love'. The product becomes an ice-breaker, allowing a shift from the traditional hierarchical mother-child relationship to that of a conversation between equals.

Talking about the objective of the TVC, Anuradha Narsimhan, director, marketing, Britannia, says, "The task was to change consumer perceptions about cakes from being an occasional snack to a delightful, everyday indulgence. Britannia cake is about kids, nutrition and delight. This is a product that kids love to have and mothers love to give them. I think the new Britannia cake TVC has done a very good job of bringing alive the bonding between a mother and child, where the cake is the enabler for that bonding. I believe that the audience will relate and connect to this TVC like nothing before."

Ram Jayaraman, AVP and creative head, Grey Bengaluru, says, "The parroting of a child is something that every parent connects with almost instantly. Think we've got something cute and charming with this film. Here's hoping it gets more than just the kids talking."

In terms of execution, is there any alternative to a mother for such products/categories? Hari Krishnan, SVP and business head, South, Grey, says, "Britannia Cakes is a delightful snack food that is consumed mostly by children. Mothers do not consider snacks as real food while for children, snacking IS food. They are assertive demanders and increasingly spoilt for choice. In this conflict, it's the mother who is constantly stuck between giving the child what he/she wants vs what is healthy and nutritious for them. Therefore, while the product maybe consumed by the child, the mother is the gate keeper. Hence it is important that the communication is relevant for the mother and child. The idea is not about featuring a mother and child. That's just the context. The idea is about how Britannia cakes opens up conversations."

Adding about the challenges while shooting the ad, Krishnan says, "Shooting with kids is always a delight and a challenge. We ended up taking many takes to get that perfect shot or perfect expression. We had some great luck with casting and are very happy with the performances, especially that of the kid."

Directed by Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy, the film has been produced by Corcoise.

Britannia Cakes has even refreshed its packaging after seven years. The intention is to keep the brand looking fresh and delightful. However, the product and the tagline have not undergone any change. The TVC is currently being aired on general entertainment as well as kids' entertainment channels. Besides, the company is communicating the thought of the campaign through outdoor and point-of-sale media.

The mother-kid relationship and interaction seems to have become a compulsory template. Are ads in the category limited in terms of execution?

"Everything is a template until you do it differently. The home is obviously a natural setting but I think it's high time we break the mould. One can argue that while this is where most of the family interacts with each other, it has also led to a massive blind spot in the viewers' eyes. The brands that use this setting must acknowledge the fact that while they are getting an ad that ticks every checkbox, they are sacrificing any real chance of product recall. Breaking the clutter within the framework is obviously very difficult. The clients too want something that's tried and tested. However, Bournvita recently shook up the category by showing moms in a way that we haven't seen before. Once people see that they'll demand more of it. But there has to be a joint effort from the agency and the client," Bedi adds.

Commenting on the ad, Harish Bijoor, brand-expert and CEO, Harish Bijoor Consult, says, "It is a nice slice of life and for that matter, slice of cake piece of advertising. It uses the time-tested formula of mom and kid. And, moms are getting younger for sure. The friendliness, the attitude to a game, and the fun element of it all is exploited. It is nicely handled really. It sure is a compulsory template. Important point to remember is the fact that the brand needs to emote with moms and kids. One is the primary buyer and the other is the primary consumer. You need to show them, and show them well and positively. This does it. And does it efficiently! This is really the path of least resistance, and the path of least risk. The beauty of it, however, is the fact that creative teams have the ability to add zing even to such boring formats as this one."